Smooth jazz here to stay - Nathan Pryce

Though some jazz purists denounce Smooth Jazz, claiming it is only a moneymaking scheme, United States-based Ghanaian guitarist, Nathan Pryce says the genre is here to stay and players like him will always cherish it.

Smooth Jazz evolved from a blend of jazz fusion and easy listening pop music and became extremely popular in the 1980s. It has been taken in other directions by various artistes but its core aim has been to help make jazz accessible to as many people as possible.

Nathan Pryce has blended his Smooth Jazz with Highlife and Ghanaian traditional music. His album tided Dreams, which brings those three elements together, will be launched on Saturday, September 1, at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill in Accra.

"Smooth Jazz is a flexible genre capable of embracing many other styles. I decided to bring items from my own background to it and the blend has worked well.

Some of the world's best-known Smooth Jazz acts are guitarists. They include Peter White, George Benson, Paul Jackson Jnr, Chuck Loeb, Jonathan Butler and Earl Klugh.